When the Ku Klux Klan Came to Sturgis
2026-11-13
In August 1924, Sturgis residents were invited to a public gathering with speakers, food stands, and entertainment for the whole family. The invitation came from the Ku Klux Klan.Read More →
How Sturgis Lent Nearly $5 Million From Its Water Fund to Development
2026-10-28
Sturgis’s 2023 financial audit reveals nearly $5 million owed to its Water Fund by development districts. The loans are not necessarily improper, but questions remain about repayment, financial risk, and public accountability. Article 2 of *Ungoverned Money* examines what the records show.Read More →
Ungoverned Money: Following the Finances of Sturgis
2026-10-24
A new investigative series follows Sturgis’s public finances through budgets, audits, and council records, separating what the documents establish from what remains unknown.Read More →
When Rabies Came to Sturgis: The Epidemics of 1966 and 1970
2026-10-17
In October 1966, Sturgis declared a rabies epidemic after cases involving dogs, cats, and skunks alarmed the community. Police were authorized to destroy certain animals roaming after dark. Four years later, the city faced another emergency. The surviving records reveal a largely forgotten chapter of Sturgis history.Read More →
The Sturgis Chamber Is Older Than You Think
2026-10-02
The Sturgis Chamber says it was founded in 1946. The historical record tells a much longer story. By 1897, the Sturgis Commercial Club was already promoting the city, and over the next century it became deeply involved in roads, Fort Meade, Bear Butte Lake, tourism, the Motorcycle Rally, and even city-funded economic development.Read More →
The City That Sold Booze: Sturgis’s Municipal Liquor Store
2026-09-16
How a broke South Dakota town drank its way out of debt in 1914, did it again in 1935, and never stopped. In 1935, just two years after Prohibition ended, the people of Sturgis voted for the city to go into the liquor business. There was only one problem: theRead More →
Seth Bullock’s Stolen Election
2024-11-05
For nine months, Seth Bullock attempted to keep the peace in the newly formed Lawrence County, after having been appointed as the sheriff. It was a position he took quite seriously. Deadwood was his new home, and he was going to help civilize it. He would do such without everRead More →
A Dreadful Companion: Haunting of Hugh Farley House
2024-10-18
For months, Hugh Farley and his family, along with their boarder, Joseph Kairns, would be terrorized by an unseen occupant. It all began in August of 1884, in a frame cottage house on North Halsted Street in Chicago. At first, it was just knocking on the walls, and missing food.Read More →
Sturgis Volksmarch: First and Oldest in the Hills
2024-05-31
Hiking in the Black Hills has a long history. It was one of the activities that brought the first tourists to the state. Already in 1930, Gypsy Tours were being held that led individuals on hikes throughout the hills. It’s an activity that has been melded into the area. FortyRead More →
How Sturgis Nearly Lost Massa
2024-05-23
When thinking about landmarks in Sturgis, the Massa-Berry Clinic has to come to mind. Yet, it almost never came to pass. For a year after the hospital was built, it would remain closed as a dispute threatened to end it before it ever really started. That dispute revolved around Dr.Read More →